Bucha turns 125 on 17 October. There will be no celebration this time: events have been cancelled for security reasons, and for its birthday the community has sent more than 16 million hryvnias’ worth of aid to the front.

Five new Mitsubishi pickups, a Peugeot, six Volia-E unmanned ground vehicles and 20 Sting interceptor drones went to 12 units in which Bucha residents serve, Mayor Anatolii Fedoruk said. One pickup went to a Special Operations Forces unit that 12 men and women from Bucha’s volunteer formation once joined together.

Birthday presents went to the front

New pickups for the military in BuchaPhoto: Anatolii Fedoruk / Facebook
New Mitsubishi and Peugeot vehicles
Sting interceptor dronesPhoto: Anatolii Fedoruk / Facebook
Twenty Sting interceptor drones
Volia-E unmanned ground vehiclePhoto: Anatolii Fedoruk / Facebook
Six Volia-E ground robots

A town that marks its anniversary like this was a railway halt among pine trees 125 years ago. Here is how Bucha became the place it is known as today.

In brief: Bucha over 125 years

  1. How it began. The settlement grew up around a halt on the Kyiv–Kovel railway at the end of the 19th century.
  2. What it lived on. First Kyiv residents’ summer houses, in Soviet times peat, glass and timber.
  3. When it became a town. Bucha has had town status since 2007 and since 2020 has been the centre of a district of 12 communities.
  4. What the war changed. After 33 days of occupation Bucha became a Hero City, and the community now has more residents than before the full-scale war.

A river that “seethed”

The town is named after the Bucha river. According to local historian Anatolii Zborovskyi, the river was once far less calm than today and rose in spring as the ice broke up, which in old Ukrainian was called a “bucha”.

The place name “Bucha” first appears in documents in 1630, but it refers to the village of Yablunka on the river’s left bank. Yablunka is now one of the town’s districts.

In 1868 the Sahatovskyi brickworks opened near Yablunka, at the time the largest enterprise in the area. Bricks stamped “Yablunka” were known abroad too, according to Wikipedia.

The landowner Krasovskyi built a starch and treacle factory here and dug two ponds next to it, linked by a sluice. The factory still works, and Bucha residents relax by the ponds.

The halt where it all began

The settlement of Bucha itself grew up around a halt that appeared in 1898 during the construction of the Kyiv–Kovel railway. It was built up quickly because it was surrounded by pine forest.

The Sokolohorskyi dacha on a 1910 postcard1910 postcard / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
At the start of the 20th century Bucha was a dacha resort: Kyiv residents came for the pines, clean air and a pond for swimming.
Bucha railway stationPhoto: Polina Boiko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Bucha station today. In 1909 up to 12 pairs of passenger trains passed through it a day, and the trip from Kyiv took 45 minutes to an hour.

What Bucha cost in 1909

  • 32 kopecks a third-class ticket from Kyiv, 56 in second class
  • 35–50 roubles a room for the whole summer season
  • 250 roubles a four-room dacha with a kitchen and a veranda
  • 8 roubles a monthly third-class pass

In March 1909 a market opened in Bucha, thanks to the local improvement society.

Dachas, swans and a castle

Bucha was a favourite retreat of the capital’s intelligentsia. Shtamm, an adviser to the board of the Kyiv–Kovel railway, built a castle-style dacha here, which after years of neglect and a fire is now in ruins.

At the dacha of Kyiv lawyer Nemetti and his wife, the actress Insarova, a lake was dug in the garden where white and black swans swam. Academician Yevhen Paton’s dacha, Hnat Liaskovskyi’s 1897 house and Vatslav Dombrovskyi’s estate have survived.

What is left of dacha Bucha

The park of the Shtamm estate in BuchaPhoto: Okurtsev / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The park of the Shtamm estate, 2014
Former house of Vatslav Dombrovskyi in BuchaPhoto: Rasal Hague / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Vatslav Dombrovskyi’s house, built at the start of the 20th century
A page about Bucha in a 1910 dacha guide1910 dacha guide / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
A page about Bucha in a 1910 dacha guide

Peat, glass and the Green Theatre

In 1938 Bucha became an urban-type settlement. In the early 1950s it had peat workings, a sawmill, a glassworks and a starch and treacle factory.

For leisure there was a 500-seat open-air Green Theatre and a cinema. In 1969 Bucha had 17,000 residents.

Bucha quarry in the Sklozavodskyi districtPhoto: Daryna Slipenko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
The Sklozavodskyi district is still named after glassmaking. Pictured is the Bucha quarry, 2021.

A centenary, a coat of arms and town status

In 2001 Bucha marked its centenary. The coat of arms and flag were approved, the station was rebuilt and a stadium was opened and named Yuvileinyi, “Jubilee”.

Since 2003 the town has had its own newspaper, Bucha News. In February 2006 Bucha was granted town status, which took effect on 1 January 2007.

In 1998 Bucha’s budget was 648,000 hryvnias. In 2021 the community’s budget revenues reached 1.1 billion.

In 2018, 2019 and 2021 Bucha hosted O-FEST, an international festival of operetta, opera and musicals that the National Operetta of Ukraine launched in 2013. In 2019 performers from 14 countries came to the summer theatre in the town park. “In my view, Bucha has one of the best parks in Ukraine,” the theatre’s artistic director Bohdan Strutynskyi said of the choice.

A performance at the O-FEST festival in Bucha City Park, 9 June 2018Photo: bucha.com.ua
A performance at the O-FEST festival in Bucha City Park, 9 June 2018

In 2020 Bucha became the centre of a new district uniting 12 communities. The following year the community adopted its brand, and its symbol became a growing sprout.

The mark was created by Bucha graphic designer Lesyk Panasiuk. Two inclined lines at a 50° angle combine a sprout, a bird with spread wings, a bee at work, a crossroads and the outline of the community, the brand book says.

What the Bucha community mark is made of: a sprout, a bird, a bee, a crossroads and the outline of the territoryBucha community brand book, 2021
What the Bucha community mark is made of: a sprout, a bird, a bee, a crossroads and the outline of the territory

125 years of Bucha

  1. First mention

    The place name Bucha appears in documents in connection with the village of Yablunka.

  2. Yablunka bricks

    The Sahatovskyis open a brickworks, the largest enterprise in the area.

  3. The halt

    Construction of the Kyiv–Kovel railway gives rise to the settlement.

  4. Dacha season

    A market opens, and a room for the summer costs 35–50 roubles.

  5. Urban-type settlement

    Bucha receives a new status.

  6. Centenary

    Coat of arms, flag and the Yuvileinyi stadium.

  7. Town

    Town status takes effect.

  8. District centre

    Bucha becomes the centre of a district of 12 communities.

  9. Hero City

    Bucha receives the title while still under occupation.

  10. Liberation

    33 days of occupation end.

  11. 125 years

    An anniversary without a celebration, with aid for the front.

Thirty-three days

Enemy armour entered Bucha on the morning of 27 February 2022. The same day, on Vokzalna Street, Ukrainian defenders smashed a column heading for Kyiv: territorial defence fighters met it near the Warsaw highway, and closer to Irpin the column was hit by artillery.

The occupation lasted 33 days, until 31 March. According to the town council and the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, 561 civilians were killed during that time, including 12 children.

Destroyed buildings in Bucha, April 2022Photo: Oleksii Samsonov, Kyiv City State Administration / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Bucha in early April 2022, right after liberation.
A damaged apartment block in Bucha, April 2022Photo: Oleksii Samsonov, Kyiv City State Administration / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
On 24 March 2022, still under occupation, Bucha received the honorary title of Hero City of Ukraine.

The world came to Bucha

A week after liberation, on 8 April 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative Josep Borrell came to Bucha. On 28 April UN Secretary-General António Guterres was here.

That summer Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Bucha. It was the first-ever visit by an Australian prime minister to Ukraine.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his visit to Bucha, 21 March 2023Photo: Cabinet Public Affairs Office of Japan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his visit to Bucha, 21 March 2023

On 31 March 2023, the first anniversary of liberation, the town hosted the Bucha Summit. Bucha now has 23 twin and partner cities, and the first after de-occupation was Bergamo in Italy.

Bucha’s 23 twin cities

BuchaOspedaletto EuganeoKovelTuszynPont-de-ChéruyBucsa (Hungary)TiachivJarocinBilhorod-DnistrovskyiPalangaPszczynaŠkofja LokaBergamoBergisch GladbachCascaisKatowiceKavadarciDunkirkKočevjeAlbany · 7,300 kmFerencvárosSandnesKeravaStrassen
  1. Bucha From here ties reach out to 23 cities in 14 countries.
  2. Ospedaletto Euganeo Italy, 2000. Bucha’s first twin town.
  3. Kovel Ukraine, 2001.
  4. Tuszyn Poland, 2004.
  5. Pont-de-Chéruy France, 2004.
  6. Bucsa (Hungary) Hungary, 2004. A namesake village.
  7. Tiachiv Ukraine, 2006.
  8. Jarocin Poland, 2006.
  9. Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Ukraine, 2010.
  10. Palanga Lithuania, 2015.
  11. Pszczyna Poland, 2016.
  12. Škofja Loka Slovenia, 2018.
  13. Bergamo Italy, 2022. The first twin city after de-occupation.
  14. Bergisch Gladbach Germany, 2022.
  15. Cascais Portugal, 2022.
  16. Katowice Poland, 2022.
  17. Kavadarci North Macedonia, 2022.
  18. Dunkirk France, 2023.
  19. Kočevje Slovenia, 2023.
  20. Albany USA, 2023. The capital of New York State.
  21. Ferencváros Hungary, 2023. A district of Budapest.
  22. Sandnes Norway, 2023.
  23. Kerava Finland, 2024.
  24. Strassen Luxembourg, 2024.

Source: Bucha City Council.

Among them is a namesake, the Hungarian village of Bucsa, home to about 2,500 people. And Kathy Sheehan, mayor of Albany, the capital of New York State, came to Bucha herself in June 2024 with a convoy of more than 40 ambulances for Ukraine.

Rebuilding and new residents

As of February 2026, 2,448 buildings in the community had been fully or partly restored: 331 apartment blocks, 2,055 private homes and 62 social facilities.

Vokzalna Street took the worst of it: the battle with the column damaged 215 houses, every third building. Rebuilding began there at the end of October 2022 under the Hope for Bucha project, funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. By May 2023, 110 houses had been repaired and 12 destroyed ones built from scratch.

Vokzalna Street in Bucha in May 2023 after rebuildingVokzalna Street in Bucha on 1 March 2022: the destroyed russian columnBeforeAfterPhoto: Serhii Nuzhnenko / Radio Svoboda (RFE/RL)
Vokzalna Street on 1 March 2022 and in May 2023.

Radio Svoboda published 16 more such pairs of photos of Vokzalna.

69,524

people live in the Bucha community. In October 2021 it had 62,101 residents, so there are now more people than before the full-scale war.

Source: Bucha City Council, 1 February 2026

How the town grew

  • 49,287 residents of Bucha in 2026
  • 37,321 residents at the start of 2022
  • 17,000 residents in 1969

Sources: Bucha City Council, State Statistics Service, Wikipedia.

To get a sense of scale

  • 25 km from Bucha to Kyiv
  • 52 ha covered by the town park and its lake
  • 23 twin and partner cities
  • 2,448 restored buildings
Bucha from abovePhoto: Daryna Slipenko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
A third of the town’s territory is forest park.

People connected with Bucha

  • Mykola Murashko Painter and founder of the Kyiv Drawing School, whose pupils included Kazymyr Malevych and Mykola Pymonenko. He lived and died in Bucha.
  • Yevhen Paton Bridge engineer. His dacha in Bucha still stands.
  • Levko Revutskyi Composer. His summer house in Bucha was demolished in the mid-2000s, and the town’s art school bears his name.
  • Oleksandr Halunenko The first Hero of Ukraine, who flew the Mriya into the sky. He lives in Bucha and is an honorary citizen of the town.
  • Liubov Panchenko An artist of the Sixtiers generation, born in Yablunka. She survived the occupation and died after liberation.
  • Oleksandr Kysliuk Translator of Aristotle, Xenophon and Tacitus. He was killed by the occupiers on 5 March 2022.

More about the town’s people and rebuilding is in our history of Bucha over 35 years of independence.

Questions and answers

Why 125 years if the name was mentioned back in 1630?

In 1630 “Bucha” is mentioned in connection with the village of Yablunka on the river of the same name. The settlement itself grew up around a railway halt at the end of the 19th century, and Bucha celebrated its centenary in 2001. The year 1901 is written on the town’s coat of arms too.

Where do the district names Sklozavod and Yablunka come from?

Sklozavod recalls the glassworks that operated in Bucha in the mid-20th century. Yablunka is an old village that became part of the town. Other historic districts include Balanivka, Lisova Bucha, Melnyky and Yastremshchyna.

Why is there no celebration this year?

Events are not being held for security reasons. Instead, the community has given the military more than 16 million hryvnias’ worth of aid.

Test yourself

  1. Where does the name “Bucha” come from?

  2. How much was a third-class ticket from Kyiv to Bucha in 1909?

  3. What stamp was put on bricks from the local brickworks?

  4. Since what year has Bucha been a town?

  5. How many twin and partner cities does Bucha have?

Video: Olha Klybanska / YouTube
May 2026. A hundred thousand tulips in the town park, a gift from Dutch flower companies.

Bucha is growing

  • +7,423 more people in the community than in October 2021
  • 5,491 sole traders work in the community, 3.8% more than in 2024
  • +51% in taxes from community businesses over nine months of 2025
  • 2,448 buildings and facilities already restored

Over 125 years Bucha has been a railway halt, a dacha resort for Kyiv residents, a settlement with a glassworks and a Hero City. Today it has more residents than before the full-scale war, its businesses are growing, and it is no accident that the community chose a growing sprout as its symbol.

How we know this

  1. Anatolii Fedoruk, post of 16 October 2026
  2. Bucha City Council and Kyiv Regional Military Administration — data on the occupation, rebuilding and population
  3. Wikipedia article “Bucha” — history, landmarks, budget
  4. State Statistics Service of Ukraine
  5. State Tax Service in Kyiv region — data on community businesses
  6. Bucha community brand book, 2021
  7. Bucha City Council — list of twin cities
  8. Radio Svoboda — rebuilding of Vokzalna Street (2023) and the O-FEST festival (2019)
  9. City of Albany (USA)

Credits

  • Text and research Bucha FM
  • Photos Mila Harbar, Anatolii Fedoruk, Serhii Nuzhnenko (Radio Svoboda), bucha.com.ua, Wikimedia Commons
  • Video Olha Klybanska